Succession
Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Eidos and Crystal Dynamics, they are not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic; I wrote it because I wanted to.
Rating: PG
Part: One of One
Set: After BO1before SR1
Authoress Note: Kain passes gifts to his children.
Succession
"Dumah, if you don't shut up, no one will hold me responsible for my actions." Turel said through his teeth.
"It has been three days!" Dumah said. "I'm starving; I cannot stay here another hour, let alone another night."
"Maybe if you hadn't eaten everything on the first night, we wouldn't be in this situation," Rahab said. I watched as Dumah pretended not to hear him. Turel clenched his fist.
"How long are we supposed to stay here, in this shack, waiting for him?" Dumah continued to ignore Rahab's comment. "We don't even know where he is, where he's gone or when he's coming back. Or even if he is coming back."
"Kain will be back," I said.
"How do you know, Raziel?" Dumah turned on me. "What sign did he give you he hadn't tired of us and left us to our fate?"
"He said he would be back."
"He also said he was tired of babysitting." Zephon spoke up from where he lounged under a window. "Don't think we didn't hear him, brother."
"He was just frustrated." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Anyone listening to your constant whining would grow weary of it after a time."
"You cannot speak for him." Dumah advanced towards me. Turel stepped in front of me.
"He is a damn sight better placed to do so than you are." Turel's nose was inches from Dumah's. "When was the last time our father spoke to you to do other than scold your impertinence?"
"Leave him be, Turel." I said, my brother, turned to look at me. "Come with me." I turned and headed towards the stairs, Turel followed me. I could hear him grinding his teeth behind me as I walked.
"You should let me hit him, someone needs to put him in his place." Turel said when we reached the upper floor. "With Kain gone, he's getting worse. Especially with Zephon fueling him."
"They'll both calm down when they get something in their stomachs." I led Turel down to a small bedroom. It was the only room with windows big enough to allow us to access in or out. Together, Turel and I clambered out of the window, up onto the roof and over to the chimney.
"So, this is where you've been hiding." I glanced at Turel to see him examining the claw marks I had left on the chimney breast. Three clear scratches, each one marking a day. A day since Kain had kicked in the door to this dilapidated building, and bid us stay while he left.
"I do not understand where he has gone." I slumped down onto my backside.
"He said he would be back."
"He said he would be back in less than a day, it has been three days, Turel."
"You think he has abandoned us?" I shook my head.
"No, I am worried, though."
"Yeah, I can see him abandoning Dumah, probably Zephon as well but not us. We're far too fantastic."
"Has anyone ever told you you have a lot of self-confidence?"
"Maybe." He shrugged. "I cannot recall." He sat down next to me. "So, this is what you do all night, sit and wait?"
"Yes."
"Thrilling."
"Beats fighting with Dumah."
"Perhaps." Turel fell silent. We sat in companionable silence for a while before Turel fidgeted.
"Is it always this exciting?"
"Yup."
"Do you think we should go hunting?"
"Kain told us to wait here and not leave." I glanced at him.
"Kain also said he wouldn't be gone more than a day," Turel said. "We will start having serious problems before long. Melchiah is already looking peaky."
"Peaky." I raised an eyebrow.
"You know what I mean. He will weaken soon if we do nothing."
"True, but it isn't safe to go out. There are still too many human patrols. Kain would be furious if he came back to five sons as opposed to six."
"He certainly will come home to five sons if we do nothing," Turel said. "Either Melchiah will fall or Dumah will, though for diffrent reasons."
"It's dangerous." I said again. "Can you imagine trying to control Dumah on a hunt?"
"I have no intention of controlling Dumah. I think just you and I should go." Turel said. "We're the strongest; you know we are. If anyone has a chance of getting out and back again successfully, it's us."
"No, Kain bid us stay, so we will stay." I noted Turel's souring expression. "At least another day. If he's gone another day, then we will risk it."
"Alright," Turel stood. "Don't let your arse freeze to the tiles." I watched him go and sighed. Turel was right, Melchiah was looking worse for wear, we all were. Three days with nothing to eat was taking its toll.
It was close to dawn when I finally spotted Kain returning through the empty streets. I stood, wincing at the pain in my legs, and slipped on the frozen tiles. I landed on my backside and slid down the rooftop and off the edge. I hit the ground with a thump and shouted. I remained still for a moment, waiting to feel the pain of a broken bone or shattered muscle. But when all I felt was the ache of a bruised back, I got to my feet. I started down the road towards where I had seen Kain coming from.
I turned a corner around and almost ran into Kain; he grunted and stopped, his expression hard.
"A graceless landing." He said after a long moment.
"You saw that then?"
"Obviously." He smirked at me.
"You came back." I couldn't keep the relief out of my voice.
"You have a remarkable habit of stating the obvious." Kain rubbed his hand over his face, smearing mud across his nose.
"You're dirty," I said and rolled my eyes at myself for stating the obvious for a third time. Kain lifted an eyebrow at me but said nothing. "It took you longer than you said." I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Yes." Kain said and continued towards the house. I followed silently. After a few steps, Kain stopped, sighed, and glared at me. "Certain items were not where I had left them; I spent some time tracking everything down."
"It worried me."
"I don't need you to worry for me." Kain walked up to the house where the others waited. He kicked the door hard; I half expected it to come off the hinges. Somehow it remained intact; I followed Kain inside.
"Father!" Melchiah was the first to shout out. The others came forward, crowding Kain until he snarled and they backed off. We watched as a group as Kain disappeared upstairs.
"He didn't bring food." Dumah said when we heard a door shut upstairs.
"He had a bag, though. A big one." Rahab looked at me like I had secret knowledge of the contents. I shrugged at him to show I was no wiser than he. "You didn't notice, did you? You can be blind sometimes, Raziel. It was almost as big as he was."
"I wonder what was inside it." Melchiah said, and so the conversation went until long after the sun came up, interjected several times with complaints from Dumah regarding his hunger.
"You should sleep." Kain interrupted us in the early afternoon. We all flinched. Children caught out of bed. "But I suppose it would be too much to expect." He sighed loudly. "Come, all of you, I have something for you." We followed Kain up to the small room that he had taken for himself; the large bag was on the bed.
"As you have noticed, I was away for longer than I had planned," he said when we were all in the room. "I was collecting items, items that I had set aside years ago."
"What for?" Turel said.
"For you, I was safeguarding them for later use. Now I feel that use has come. Line up." We followed the command. Kain turned to the bag and removed a sack; a strange smell filled the room, a musty animal smell.
"Melchiah." Melchiah stepped forwards, Kain handed him the sack, and Melchiah stared at it eyes wide. "Open it." I watched as my youngest brother opened the sack and the animal smell got stronger. Melchiah's expression was confused, I leant forward to see what was in the sack, and I couldn't. I continued to watch as Melchiah reached in and pulled out a puppy.
"What the…?" I stumbled.
"It's a Marbari." Kain reached forward and rubbed the puppy's ears. "A highly intelligent and strong breed." Everyone was silent, dumbfounded by the fact that Kain had just handed Melchiah a puppy.
"Why?" Melchiah watched the puppy as it stared up at him with bright, clever eyes.
"When I was mortal, my family bred them, I had a pack growing up, and they were strong and loyal. If you train him well, he will serve you better than most men."
"He's so small." Melchiah lifted the tiny beast higher.
"He will not be for long," Kain smiled knowingly.
"Thank you." Melchiah looked awkward holding the tiny beast. Kain turned back to the bag and called for Zephon. I continued to watch my youngest brother out of the corner of my eye and caught him smiling at the puppy.
"Sire." Zephon dipped his head. Kain reached into the bag and pulled out cloth. Turning, he handed the cloth to Zephon. I frowned, the material shimmered but hung heavy like chain mail. As I stared, the material seemed the shimmer out of existence for a few moments before becoming visible again.
"I thought this would suit your talents. It is armour, a light armour admittedly. The Wraith Armor served me well in my youth. It fades in and out of this realm."
"It fades?" Zephon said.
"And while you wear it, so will you."
"I'll be invisible?" Zephon's face lit up.
"You will physically fade, and some weapons will move through you. At least for some time." Zephon's grin spread wider. "Do not let this make you careless."
"No, Sire. Thank you, sire." It was the first time I had seen Zephon smile genuinely. Kain turned back to the bag and called for Rahab.
"My Sire." Rahab followed Zephon and dipped his head. Kain turned, holding a book.
"Willendorf used to have the most impressive library." Kain handed Rahab the book.
"A history of Nosgoth?" Rahab read the spine. "I have this."
"Open it." Kain's expression was far to smug. Rahab obeyed and frowned. I leant forward to see what the book said, but the pages were gone, torn out in the centre and in the space sat a key. "They destroyed the library years ago. But the building's shell still stands. In the most westerly room, there is a door, a locked door."
"This key?" Rahab said.
"The librarian's key, for… restricted volumes." Kain nodded. "The room was sound; it survived the fall of Willendorf. I recommend you visit it when you are able." Kain turned back to the bag. Rahab stepped back, looking dumbfounded. "Knowledge can be a stronger weapon than steel."
"Thank you, my sire." Rahab dippped his head again. Kain called Dumah, turning back from the bag he held two axes.
"Havoc and Malice." He handed them to Dumah. "They prevent you casting magic, but physical force is more your forte." Dumah took the axes and taking a step back he gave a test swing. The movement was smooth and looked powerful, more powerful than I expected from the lazy way Dumah had started the motion. I watched as Dumah's eyes lit up.
"Sire?"
"They amplify your strength. Be careful. However, they cannot think and can cause you to become overzealous," Kain smirked again. "Very overzealous."
"Thank you, my sire. I will take good care of them." Dumah dipped his head. Kain nodded.
"I'm sure you will." Kain turned back to the bag and calling Turel. Turel stepped forward as Kain turned back holding armour. It was difficult to see what the armour looked like beyond a mass of spikes and red metal. He dropped the set into Turel's outstretched arms.
"Armour?" Turel said. Kain nodded.
"An old favourite of mine. Chaos armour. Our enemies can be fierce; this armour extracts from them a heavy price for their ferocity."
"It does?" Turel turned the piece over in his hands.
"It does." Kain's grin was ferocious. "They strike at you, but they bare the wounds themselves."
"So if I was stabbed while wearing this?"
"Then your opponent would bear the wound, as would you," Kain said. Turel laughed.
"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when that happens. Although I doubt I will offer myself for their stabbings without a fight."
"Good, do not let this make you careless." Kain turned back to the bag. "Raziel."
"Sire." I stepped forward and watched as Kain reached into the now almost empty bag and pulled out a blade. He turned to face me, his expression blank. He offered me the blade hilt first.
"Before I wielded the Soul Reaver, I carried this blade. It served me better than any other." I weighted the blade in my hand, it had a good balance, and the handle had been recently rebound and was warm, very warm. It was a plane blade, but a good one. The slight orange tint to the steal was attractive, and the heat coming from it was odd but not unpleasant.
"Thank you, my sire." I dipped my head. Kain laughed at me.
"You need to swing it to see its power." I took a step back and swung. I almost dropped it when the blade roared aflame. Kain laughed harder when my brothers jumped back.
"I'm foolish," I said when the fire died down. "To think you would ever have a normal blade."
"The flame sword will serve you well," Kain said. "Just don't swing it indoors again."
"Thank you, sire." I dipped my head. Kain stared at each of us for a moment before snorting and turning away.
"Begone," he said. We stood and dipped out heads to him again; he did not turn back to see us. Instead, he acted as if we had already gone. We returned to the shared space where we had spent the days resting, each admiring their gift, or with Melchiah petting his.
"Our sire is generous," Rahab said when we laid down to rest. "To give away such treasures."
"Nonsense," Turel said. "He hasn't given away anything; we are his as much as these items are. All he has done is reorganise his belongings to make some stronger and more efficient."
"You have a lovely way of looking at things sometimes," I said.
"I'm realistic. I don't believe Kain turned us so he could raise a happy family. He turned us so we could help him reach his goal. We are tools, just like that blade you now hold brother."
"Shut up, Turel," I said. We finished preparations for sleep in silence.
I lay down and closed my eyes with Turels words ringing in my ears.
End Fic
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Authoress Note: for those who recognised the breed of Dog Kain gave to Melchiah, what can I say, I liked Dragon Age
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